Monday, February 27, 2017

Fiscal committees worked overtime this past
week, with the House meeting into early

evening Friday the 24th to
act on policy bills that had some impact on the state budget. Typically bills
that are linked to the operating or capital budget aren’t subject to the
deadlines, but nothing is officially off the table until the gavel falls April
23rd. Policy bills that failed to pass their respective fiscal
committees may see life in the operating or capital budgets as provisos or return
as “trailing bills.”

The session is nearing the half-way mark of
the 105-day session, and the focus shifts over the next two weeks to floor
action. Bills must pass by 5 p.m. on March 8 from the chamber where they
started to remain under consideration. The biggest exception would be budget
bills. Speaking of which, an economic review will occur March 2, with the
Economic and Revenue Forecast Council meeting at 10 a.m. on March 16 to get the
most current report on projected revenue for fiscal year 2017, and the 2017-19
biennium.

Status
of Top Five Legislative Priorities - Update

1.Social
and Emotional Learning

·All
three bills, HB 1377, HB 1518, and HB 1621 died in House Appropriations. Two of
the bills (HB 1377 and HB 1621) are somewhat linked to the House Democrats’
education funding bill – ESHB 1843 – so may be resurrected soon. Elements of HB
1518, which included an extension of the SEL benchmarks work group and a summer
ECEAP pilot project, may be inserted into the House operating budget as
provisos. Members talking with their legislators should share this request.

2.Amply
Funding Basic Education

·ESHB
1843, the House Democrat education funding plan, was sent to the Senate on a
party-line vote of 50-48. It is expected that negotiations on the two major
plans (HB 1843 and SB 5607) will begin in earnest. New
district-by-district fiscal impact charts have been released by Senate
Republicans.

·A bill
that would increase funding for LAP, HB 1511, and two bills (HB 2075 and SB
5758) that would have added $400 per student for various academic-focused
activities both failed to pass their respective fiscal committees. Like the SEL
bills above, it is possible elements of these bills will show up in the
education funding solution.

4.Standards
for Para-educators

·SHB
1115 and SB 5070 were passed from their fiscal committees and are in the Rules
Committee. The Rules Committee is the stopping point before bills are referred
to the floor for action.

oThose
that are still in play include: HB 1452 (expansion of the opportunity scholarship)
and HB 1512 (expansion of College Bound Scholarship eligibility).

·Removing
Barriers to Implementing ECEAP

oTwo
bills to create a grant and loan program to increase the number of early
learning facilities are both still under consideration. The bills are HB 1777
and SB 5753.

·Restorative
Justice and School Safety

oSSB
5155, focused on limiting the number of days students in grades K-2 could be
suspended or expelled is eligible for floor action.

Week
in Review

Northshore parent Corina Pfeil testified
for the first time before the House Appropriations Committee in support of HB
1508, the breakfast after the bell bill. She did a lot of research to prepare
for the meeting, and represented WSPTA very well.

Thursday, February 23, 2017

ALEXANDRIA, Va., (Feb. 22, 2017)—The following statement can be
attributed to National PTA President Laura Bay:

“Today, the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice sent a letter
to the nation’s schools rescinding guidance released in May 2016 on their
obligations under Title
IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) regarding a student’s
gender identity. The guidance had stated that a
school must not treat a transgender student differently from the way it treats
other students of the same gender identity under the law.

“National PTA is extremely
disappointed that the Administration has rescinded the guidance. Every
child deserves to receive a great education in a setting free from discrimination,
harassment and violence. The vast majority
of LGBTQ students, however, are bullied, physically assaulted and feel unsafe
in school because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or identity. There
is a need for explicit protection of LGBTQ youth as it is critical to their
overall health and well-being and long-term success.

“National PTA and its constituent
associations are committed to advocating for policies and protections for LGBTQ
youth to make sure they have positive school experiences and the opportunity to
reach their full potential. National PTA adopted a resolution in 2016 on the Recognition
of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ)
Individuals as a Protected Class. The resolution calls for federal
policies that specifically protect LGBTQ youth and local practices that create
and maintain safe, affirming and inclusive learning environments for all
students.

“It has long been a top priority of
National PTA to make sure all children have a safe, supportive and positive
environment in which to thrive and learn. The association remains dedicated to supporting transgender
students—as it is every student—and will push for policies and practices to
ensure that federal, state and local entities protect all children.”

About
National PTA

National
PTA® comprises millions of families, students, teachers,
administrators and business and community leaders devoted to the educational
success of children and the promotion of family engagement in schools. PTA is a
registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit association that prides itself on being a
powerful voice for all children, a relevant resource for families and
communities and a strong advocate for public education. Membership in PTA is
open to anyone who wants to be involved and make a difference for the
education, health and welfare of children and youth.

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Northshore parent Corina Pfeil, parent member from Inglemoor High PTSA 6.10.75, spoke Wednesday in favor of HB1508; the bill that would start a Breakfast After the Bell program in high
poverty schools across the state. She urged lawmakers to roll out this program
to help hungry kids so they are prepared to learn and be successful in school.

This was Corina's first time testifying and she was a great
advocate for our students. She volunteered several weeks ago to testify on this
issue, and we took her up on that offer this week. If you'd like to represent
WSPTA on legislation that is being considered by the legislature, please contact Marie Sullivan, WSPTA Legislative Consultant or Duncan Taylor, WSPTA Legislative Director.

Sunday, February 19, 2017

There is certainly no lack of
education funding plans this year, as three Senate Democrats brought a little
love to the topic on February 14, bringing the total of publicly
available proposals to a total of four: Governor Inslee’s; Senate Republicans;
House Democrats; and now the subgroup of Senate Democrats. House Republicans
have signaled that they have their own separate education funding plan, but
elements haven’t been shared formally with the public.

SB 5825 would make permanent
a district’s current maintenance & operations (M&O) levy percentage on January 1, 2018, and allow
school districts to assess a local enrichment levy of up to $1,000 per student
for activities and salaries beyond basic education. To help property-poor
districts, the legislation would double the amount of levy equalization (LEA) a
district receives, and would put in place a minimum per student allocation of
$11,500. In other words, if the allocation that included the new permanent
levy, LEA, and a uniform enhancement for students in learning assistance programs (LAP), Transitional Bilingual Instruction Program (TBIP), Special
Education and Highly Capable programs didn’t reach that threshold, the state
would make up the difference.

“No district will get less
funding than it is receiving in the current school year,” said Senate sponsor
Mark Mullet, D-Issaquah. Mullet said an amendment he’s considering would
include an inflationary factor for the $11,500 per student allocation.

Other elements of the
proposal include a minimum salary of $45,000; new requirements for accounting
and reporting; and a link to different bills that would seek a constitutional
change to allow bonds to pass with a simple majority. The extra LEA would be
funded through an expanded collection of internet sales taxes. Under current
rules, only Internet businesses with a nexus (i.e., physical presence) to
Washington state are required to collect and remit sales tax to the state.

In other news last week,
Friday served as the deadline for bills to be passed out of respective policy
committees. February 24 marks the next cutoff, for most bills that
have a fiscal impact to the state to be passed out of their budget committee.
Typically bills that are labeled “necessary to implement the budget” or NTIB,
are exempt from the legislative-imposed deadlines.

Status of Top Five Legislative Priorities - Update

1.Social
and Emotional Learning

·SHB
1377 would require, at the beginning of the 2018-19 school year, school
districts with more than 2,000 students to provide a minimum of six hours of
professional collaboration time per year for school counselors, social workers
and psychologists that focuses on recognizing signs of emotional and behavioral
distress.

·SHB
1518, among other features, would direct OSPI to convene a work group to build
upon the SEL benchmarks developed in 2016, and establish a competitive grant
program to increase the number of summer learning programs that combine
academics and SEL.

·HB
1621 was heard in the House Appropriations Committee last week. The bill would
provide an enhancement in the prototypical funding formula for staff positions
related to SEL, including family and community engagement, school nurses,
social workers, psychologists, and guidance counselors.

2.Amply
Funding Basic Education

·SHB
1843, the House Democrat education funding plan is in the queue for a floor
vote.

·SB
5825 is described above. Senator Mullet believes it will get a hearing in the
Senate.

3.Closing
the Opportunity Gap

·HB
1511 would make changes to the Learning Assistance Program, including
increasing the hours; removing the requirement to focus LAP on 3rd
grade literacy; and add funding to schools with high concentrations of ELL,
homeless and foster youth student populations.

·HB
2075 and SB 5758 would provide a minimum of $400 per student for one of four
activities: 1. CTE in middle or high school; 2. Enhanced dual credit
opportunities in high school; 3. Dropout prevention strategies; and 4. AVID
strategies and classrooms. Both bills passed out of their respective education
committees and were sent to the budget committees.

4.Standards
for Para-educators

·SHB
1115 will be heard by House Appropriations February 20th.

·SB
5070 had a public hearing in the Senate Ways & Means committee last week.

5.Breakfast
after the Bell

·SSB
5696 was amended in the Senate education committee and passed to the Rules
Committee. The amendments removed the mandate for high-poverty schools to
provide breakfast after the bell, and instead require that if all children are
given the opportunity to eat after the bell, that the time would count as
instructional time.

·SHB
1508 was modified slightly in House education and has been passed to the House
Appropriations committee.

2017 WSPTA Supported Issues:

·Improving
Educational Outcomes for Foster Children

oSHB
1511 (above)

oSSB
5241 would require school districts to consolidate partial credits, unresolved
or incomplete coursework, and provide other opportunities for credit accrual to
eliminate barriers to foster youth and homeless student success. The bill is in
the Senate Rules committee.

oSHB
1618 would specify the minimum duties and responsibilities for a family and
community engagement coordinator, and would stipulate that state funding
allocated to support family and community engagement coordinators must be used
for that purpose. The bill is in House Rules.

·Post-Secondary/Higher
Education Access and Affordability

oSHB
1425 would establish the Washington Next Generation Educational Savings Account
Pilot Program (like a 529 savings account). The bill also would require the
Washington Student Achievement Council to administer the pilot program, and to
deposit an initial grant of $25 and an incentive grant of $50 when the account
beneficiary achieved certain milestones.

oHB
1452 would create a new scholarship opportunity for students pursuing
professional technical degrees or professional technical certificates at
community colleges. The companion is SB 5361.

oSHB
1512 would expand a student’s eligibility to the 7th and 8th
grade, and the 9th and 10th grade if they were previously
ineligible, and expand income eligibility for the College Bound Scholarship
award to 125 percent of the state’s median family income. The bill also would
provide students with family incomes between 65 percent and 125 percent of
median family income a scholarship equal to tuition and fees for two years at a
community and technical college.

oSHB
1840 would create the Washington Promise Program, which would provide free
tuition and fees to students who meet certain eligibility requirements to
attend a community and technical college. The bill would use a four-step
phase-in approach, and would set up a free 13th year.

oHB
1847 would set a goal of increasing the state’s share of support to 50 percent
for four-year institutions.

§All
the higher education bills have been sent to their respective budget
committees.

·Removing
Barriers to Implementing ECEAP

oSHB
1518 would direct the Department of Early Learning to fund up to 600 slots to school
districts to offer a summer-only ECEAP program for children entering
kindergarten the upcoming year.

oSHB
1777 would create a new loan and grant program for preschool facilities. The
bill was heard in the House Capital Budget committee last week and is scheduled
for a vote this week. It’s Senate companion, SB 5753, had a hearing in Senate
Ways & Means last week.

oSB
5484 would create an Early Learning Facilities grant and loan program. The bill
differs from the preschool facilities bills listed above, but there is an
effort to combine them into one bill.

·Restorative
Justice and School Safety

oSSB
5155 would prohibit suspensions and expulsions of students in grades K-2 to no longer
than the remainder of the day and one full day.

Week in Review

Speaking on behalf of WSPTA,
parent Sarah Butcher testified in favor of HB 1518 and HB 1618 in the House
Education Committee. Also representing WSPTA, parent Heather Lindberg testified
in favor of the proposed substitute for SB 5696 (breakfast after the bell). WSPTA
signed in a support on SB 5070 (para-educators), HB 1621 (social emotional
learning staff support), and HB 1564 (pesticide use).

Bills related to a
constitutional amendment to change to a simple majority for bond measures
failed to pass out of their respective policy committees this week. While
nothing is ever dead until the session ends, it is unlikely these bills will
move forward this session.

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Testifying on
behalf of WSPTA in favor of legislation on social and emotional
learning (HB 1518) and family and community engagement coordinators (HB 1618),
parent Sarah Butcher urged House Education Committee members on Monday,
February 13, to look favorably on the bills and to vote them out of
committee. Butcher is a member of the state work group that has been
developing benchmarks for social and emotional learning.

Monday, February 13, 2017

Last week began with a public hearing in the House Appropriations
Committee on the two competing education funding proposals: SSB 5607 (Senate
Republicans) and HB 1843 (House Democrats). The bills drew more than two hours’
worth of testimony, most of it mixed on both spending plans, although the
support for HB 1843 outweighed that of SSB 5607.

Some of the objections raised to SSB 5607 included the concern about
the lack of a local levy in calendar 2019 and the impact on programs and
staffing that would have on two school years; the cap on use of a 10% local
M&O levy on programs and activities that might currently be funded by local
levies; the limit on salaries to 80% of a total budget, along with setting a
minimum salary; and the overall lack of new funding to the system. In addition,
the state counties association and fire district association weighed in with
concerns about the impact the additional $1.80 statewide property tax would
have on other taxing districts that access funds within the property tax box.

Concerns about HB 1843 included elimination of a minimal salary
structure to provide stability for salaries at all levels, including experience
and education; failure to address the system’s inequity by maintaining a statewide
24% local levy; and the inclusion of TRII as an allowed expenditure.

SHB 1843 was amended in committee, and passed out on a party-line vote.
The changes include the additional of an accountability monitoring and
reporting system, requiring districts to report on WaKIDS, 3rd grade
reading proficiency, 8th grade math proficiency, and four-year
graduation rates. The amended bill also includes a work group organized by OSPI
to review the 12.7% cap on state spending for students with special needs and to
make recommendations whether the percent should be adjusted. Finally, while
calling it a drafting error, the amendment reduces the prototypical funding
percentage for parent involvement coordinators from all schools to just
prototypical elementary schools.

Friday, February 17th marks the first of many deadlines the
Legislature uses to winnow the number of bills they consider. By Friday, policy
bills must have passed out of committee to a budget committee or to the Rules
committee to stay under consideration. This deadline will be followed by
February 24th, which is the cutoff for bills with a fiscal impact
(to the state) to be considered.

Status of Top Five Legislative
Priorities - Update

1.Social and Emotional Learning

·The bill that would embed SEL throughout the
calendar year is up for public hearing Monday.

2.Amply Funding Basic Education

·The House Appropriations Committee passed SHB
1823 (see above).

3.Closing the Opportunity Gap

·No new bills introduced

4.Standards for Parae-ducators

·SHB 1115 was voted out of House Education as a
substitute, replacing requirements for certification and endorsements with
training and standards for all para-educators, and standards for para-educators
who are in classrooms with students with special needs and ELL students.

5.Breakfast after the Bell

·SB 5696 is the Senate version of the Breakfast
after the Bell bill. It is scheduled for public hearing Thursday, February 16
at 1:30 in the Senate education committee.

2017 WSPTA Supported Issues:

·Improving Educational Outcomes for Foster
Children

oNo new bills

·Engaging Families in Student Success

oHB 1843 specifically increases to 1.085 the
family engagement coordinator per prototypical school.

oUnfortunately, SHB 1843, the House Democrats’
education funding plan, removed the increase to 1.085 FTE for all prototypical
schools, setting it only for elementary schools.

·Post-Secondary/Higher Education Access and
Affordability

oSeveral bills had public hearings last week, and
bills WSPTA is tracking have passed or are on the schedule for executive action
this session.

·Removing Barriers to Implementing ECEAP

oHB 1518 is an SEL bill, but also would create
the opportunity for school districts to offer a summer-only ECEAP program for
children entering kindergarten the upcoming year.

·Restorative Justice and School Safety

oNo new bills

Week in Review

WSPTA parent Jennifer Ogle testified February 6 on the House and Senate
education funding plans. Parent Sarah Butcher is scheduled to testify on behalf
of WSPTA on Monday, February 13 on the Social Emotional Learning (SEL) bill.

·SSB 5107 - Public Hearing - Creating a local
pathway for local governments, school districts, institutions of higher
education, and nonprofit organizations to provide more high quality early
learning opportunities by reducing barriers and increasing efficiency.

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Washington State PTA is the largest volunteer association in the state, with more than 132,000 members in 850+ local PTAs.

Our vision? Make every child's potential a reality. We will do that by being a powerful voice for all children, a relevant resource for families and communities, and a strong advocate for the well-being and education of every child.